Tells students: “Marry Your Books, Stay Away From Drugs and Early Relationships”
Nat’l Tymes News Desk
THE MEMBER of Parliament (MP) for Ayawaso Central, Hon. Abdul-Rauf Tubazu, has supported about 400 first-year Senior High School (SHS) students in the constituency with mattresses, chop boxes, buckets and other essential items ahead of their departure to school.
The initiative, held at the Ayawaso Central Municipal Education Directorate, brought together the beneficiaries and their parents, with the items intended to help ease the burden of preparing the students for SHS.
It is the second consecutive year that the MP has undertaken the initiative. Last year, more than 350 SHS freshers in the constituency benefited from similar support.
The distribution was organised on a ward-by-ward basis to ensure an orderly process and reduce pressure on students and their parents.
The constituency’s wards are made up of branches or polling stations. The ward with the highest number of branches has 21, while the ward with the lowest has nine. The MP’s office said all registered and qualified beneficiaries are expected to be covered under the programme.
Addressing the students, Hon. Tubazu urged them to take their education seriously, describing education as one of the most valuable investments parents can make in the lives of their children.
He, however, reminded the students that although their parents could provide the necessary support, the responsibility to study, pass their examinations and build a successful future rested largely with them.
“The best investment parents can give a child is education. Your parents cannot learn for you. Your parents cannot pass the exams for you. Part of the job is done by the parents and part of the job is done by you, the kids,” he said.
The MP urged the students to see SHS as an important stage in their lives and make choices that would protect their future.
He specifically cautioned them against drug use and early romantic relationships, urging them to remain focused on their studies.
“Most of you are adolescents now. I will encourage you to stay away from drugs and stay away from this boyfriend-girlfriend thing. It’s not going to help you at this age,” he said.
He advised the students to use their time in SHS to build strong academic and professional foundations instead of engaging in activities that could distract them from their goals.
“If you learn hard and you become a doctor, you become a nurse, you will get a good husband to marry. If you are a man, you learn hard, you become a good accountant, a good MP, you get the most beautiful girl to marry,” he said.
Hon. Tubazu therefore urged the students to remain focused on their books and avoid conduct that could jeopardise their future.
“Don’t waste your time now because what you are doing right now is destroying your future. I encourage you to stick to your books. This is the time you marry your books,” he said.
He also charged the students to avoid deviant behaviour, develop discipline, respect their parents and teachers, and make responsible choices as they begin their SHS education.
The beneficiaries and their parents expressed appreciation to the MP for the support, saying it would help reduce the financial pressure on families preparing their children for SHS.
They said the provision of the basic items would help parents meet some of the immediate requirements of their children as they reported to school.
Source: Nationaltymes.com
